Function and Process

In class on Thursday, we talked about function vs. structure and content vs. process. After learning what each of them meant, I started thinking that function and process overlap a bit. Function was like how the family works, or the roles each member plays. The process is how the interaction takes place. I think the roles played by the members in the family help influence the process.

In my family, my step-dad plays the role of the main decision maker. This means when a process takes place, he has to approve and he has the say so. My mom generally stands by and either supports or questions his decisions. She doesn't tend to make big decisions unless she feels strongly about them. There were a couple of processes to go through before getting something you want. I would have to ask my mom first and then she would give me her answer, if it was no then I gave up, but if her answer was yes, it was always followed by "go check with Randy" he made the final decision. He was a bit more tricky to convince; I would have to catch him in a good mood. So there was a definite process to go through if I wanted something, and I think those processes took place because of the roles the members of my family played.

It was always very frustrating to go through this process and most of the time I failed at convincing him about what I wanted. I personally did not like this process of decision making because I felt like my mom was giving up her opinion and her rights to make decisions as my biological parent; like she had to bow down to his decisions. So, overall I think that function and process overlap since the roles influence how the process takes place.